


Hinges

by dramaticinsanity



Series: Bright Eyes of the Solstice [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: A little angst, How Do I Tag, M/M, harriscofest 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 11:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15684633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dramaticinsanity/pseuds/dramaticinsanity
Summary: Cisco and Harry can barely take their eyes off each other. Cisco is troubled by what the future may hold for him and Harry.





	Hinges

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt(s): Eyefucking + First Date
> 
> Got longer than I intended. Which isn't new, I have two other unrelated fills that burst from their seams. Anyway. There's a completely random secondary pairing that I don't even technically ship, but it just... suited my purposes... I guess.

Harry opens the door and gestures for Cisco to go first. Cisco smiles, but he turns slightly walking in. The better to keep his eyes on Harry, to make sure he doesn’t suddenly evaporate into thin air. He feels warm all over as Harry watches him back.

Cisco bumps right into a patron leaving the shop.

“Watch it, freak!”

Harry casually sticks out his foot. The guy trips and his coffee spills everywhere, and expletives spill out of his mouth as a result. He whirls on Harry.

Harry smiles placidly and glances down at his foot. He slowly retracts his leg. He scratches his chin as though baffled.

“How did that get there? I’m sorry… that you didn’t have a nice trip.”

Cisco slaps a hand over his mouth and giggles. Harry looks at him and waggles his eyebrows, causing him to laugh so hard he has to lean on the nearest table. The stranger grumbles, and turns to leave. He runs into a metal pole headfirst and stumbles backward.

A loud snort escapes Harry. He hurries inside and grabs Cisco’s shoulder. They lean on each other for support and laugh breathily, trying not to let it roll into hysterical guffaws.

The patron at the nearest table comments, “Thanks. It’s a good day to witness a murder.” There’s a soft chuckle from the person across from them.

Cisco extracts himself from Harry, startling at the familiar voice. “Rathaway. Funny seeing you here. Where the hell have you been?”

“Come on Cisco! Call me Hartley. Figuring stuff out,” Hartley says cryptically. “You?”

Cisco opens his mouth. Then he spies who is sitting across from Hartley, and it’s none other than Captain Singh. He freezes, mouth hanging open, and looks at Harry. Who has gone still as a statue. His eyes slide to meet Cisco’s as they quietly process the situation.

He snaps his mouth shut, trying to think of how to respond as he turns back to Hartley. Hartley takes a sip of coffee and glances over at Harry.

He spits the coffee out, spraying it over Singh and Cisco. Singh quietly mops his face and shirt with napkins, then hands the unused ones to Cisco.

“What the fuck?” Hartley jumps to his feet. “You’re supposed to be dead. Cisco, why are you running around with this psycho?!”

He feels Harry tug frantically at his wrist. Harry is tense, ready to dash. He might get far. Cisco doesn’t have much faith that he, with minimal athletic training, can outrun and lose the tail of an experienced cop. Cisco assumes that Harry wouldn’t want to leave him behind. He could breach them out of here, but one cat is already out of the bag, and they don’t need another one in the mix.

“I forgot my cap,” Harry says _helpfully_.

“No duh.”

“Your fault,” Harry mutters. Cisco glares at him. Harry stares back. Cisco raises his eyebrows. Harry takes off his glasses and rubs the lenses with his shirt. He doesn’t break the eye contact.

“If you two are done staring lovingly into each other’s eyes… I have some questions,” Hartley breaks in, scowling.

Singh adds, “I would too, but honestly the past few years have been so strange… I’m not even shocked anymore.”

Because Harry is Harry, he asks, “Are you aware that Rathaway is a metahuman?”

Hartley closes his hands into fists and steps forward. Cisco automatically moves in front of Harry. He doesn't know if he could stop Hartley without using his powers, but he's willing to reveal them if necessary.

“As a matter of fact, I am,” Singh interrupts. “And we’re on a date, so unless you’d like to join us. Please, let’s discuss this later.”

Hartley shakes his head. Regardless, he continues, “Who or what are you?”

“My name is Harrison Wells. I’m from Earth two, an alternate world. I’ll skip the whole story and just tell you this -- That piece of shit who masqueraded as my long dead doppelganger is not me, and I don’t take kindly to being compared to him.”

“He really doesn’t,” Cisco says.

Hartley examines Harry for a moment. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “It’s no weirder than metahumans and time travel, I guess.”

Cisco cautiously prods, “Er,  Captain Singh. Not that it’s any of my business, but I thought you were married?”

“I don’t discuss personal matters with co-workers or CCPD associates,” Singh replies. “But the short answer is… not for almost two years.”

Hartley leans his hip on the table. “I am above being some man’s piece on the side. Not… these days.”

Cisco and Harry both look at him questioningly. He shrugs. “Low point in my life. And he bought me things. I kind of looked for the same in Dr. Wells - the fake one - but he kept his distance.”

Harry nudges him and smirks. Cisco narrows his eyes, uncertain of the direction of his thoughts. His gaze burns into Cisco, as though he’s waiting for him to speak.

Underneath his amused expression lies something else. Cisco runs his mental fingertips over the vibrations, sensing jealousy and self-loathing.

Cisco says apropos of nothing (as the other two men don’t have the context), “Dr. Face-Stealer was _not_ my sugar daddy! Even if he was it would have nothing to do with-”

Cisco awkwardly flicks his hand in the air, “- with this.”

Harry crosses his arms and looks a bit sheepish. His expression, including the dark clouds resting in his eyes, softens. Cisco decides not to tell him that he had very briefly considered pursuing that avenue, had even dropped some hints. Nothing ever really became of it.

Hartley glances between them and his eyes widen, “Wait. Are you two on a -”

“Now if _you_ don’t mind. We were in the middle of something.” Harry gives them both a curt nod. He places his hand on the small of Cisco’s back and guides him to the counter. Cisco realizes almost everyone in the establishment was eavesdropping.

“I’ll take a Flash, and Cisco will have a Killer Frost.”

“Aw, how’d you know?”

Harry merely directs a soft, heart-melting smile at him. Cisco grins. He could almost go down on Harry right here in the shop. As it is, Harry starts to lean forward.

Someone coughs behind them. Harry quickly pecks him on the corner of his mouth. Cisco fidgets awkwardly and blushes. He bounces on his feet, suddenly feeling like bolting out the door.

 

“So, that was unexpected,” Cisco blurts.

He chokes on a somewhat nervous laugh. “I mean, for one thing, Hartley and Singh! Can you believe that?”

“Considering I don’t really know either of them…”

Cisco deflates a little. “Oh, right. Well, they make a cute couple.”

Harry’s fingers slide under his shirt. Cisco’s stomach does flips at the warm skin-on-skin contact. He leans his head on Harry’s chest and looks up at him. Was he always this tall?

“I bet we’re cuter.”

The cashier remarks, “I’d agree.”

Harry winks and gives his ass a brief squeeze. Cisco jerks in surprise, a little squeak escaping him. Someone whistles suggestively, probably Hartley.

Cisco blushes harder.

“Our coffee is ready,” Harry murmurs. Cisco fishes out his card to pay for the coffee.

They grab their cups. Cisco doesn’t look behind to see how disgruntled the customers in line became. Out of the corner of his eye, Cisco sees Hartley give him a thumbs up. He casually rubs the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. In retaliation, Hartley makes a suggestive gesture with his fingers. Singh slowly snags his hand and pushes it down onto the table.

Cisco fast walks to an empty table before he can be further embarrassed. He stares into his coffee as Harry shuffles into the seat across from him. What are they doing? Harry is amazing, and Cisco should be excited to get romantically closer to him. All they’ve built could be balancing on thin ice. It could come crashing down if this doesn’t work. He can’t bring himself to look at Harry. When has Cisco’s dating life ever had a good end result for either person involved? He can’t remember.

Cisco feels ridiculous as he tears up. He doesn’t want to lose the special bond he and Harry share.

Harry’s hand slides across the table to connect with his. Cisco’s eyes flick up. Harry has such a gentle expression. It soothes Cisco’s ragged edged emotions and thoughts just a bit.

“You seem uncomfortable.”

“No it’s fine, I’m fine. You’re great!” That was a bit too loud. The shop seems too loud. He’s overly aware of the small roar of voices. The walls feel closer than they usually are. He tries to center himself with Harry’s markedly different vibration, but he’s spinning out of control.

There’s only a small table between them, but Harry feels miles away.

“Did I take it too far earlier? I - I apologize.”

“No. I liked it. I like you,” Cisco manages to reply. Though his voice is somewhat husky. Harry gives a brief smile.

“I like you too. About the movie you showed me last week… I’ve been meaning to ask what you think of that one scene where -”

Cisco misses the rest of what Harry talks about. He mumbles a noncommittal response. Harry keeps talking. Is Cisco breathing more rapidly? Harry’s worry is constant, radiating to him through their touching hands. He’s trying to distract Cisco. Get him to open up, laugh and forget about his fears. Cisco sniffles and takes a gulp of coffee. It’s a little too hot but tolerable. The slight pain brings him to Earth.

“Did you hear what I said?”

Cisco startles, splashing coffee on his hand. “I - what? No.”

“Ramon. I mean - Cisco, would you rather take this elsewhere? We don’t have to do this -”

Cisco drags him out of the coffee shop and breaches them to his apartment. He collapses on the couch, face down.

“Please, don’t give up on us. Sorry, I ruined everything.”

Harry chuckles and pats him on the shoulder. He strokes his fingers through Cisco’s hair. He shivers, recalling the dream he had. He stands up and throws his arms around Harry’s neck.

“We’ve barely begun. You haven’t ruined anything. What do you think is messed up?”

He mumbles, “I want this to work so badly. That I’m afraid of any small thing going wrong. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy - Whenever I think a relationship is going to fail, I try too hard. And it fails.”

Harry sighs and places a hand between his shoulder blades. “There’s no guarantee that this will go smoothly. That it won’t end badly. But I’m willing to face whatever the future has in store for the little moments, the intimacy, the - the love, if it gets there. I won’t ever meet anyone like you, and I’ll hang on with both hands.”

“Harry…”

“We don’t have to rush this. Let it evolve naturally.”

Cisco grabs his face to lower his head and kisses him hard. Finally their lips and tongues collide. They fall to the couch together, never breaking apart.

Once his lips and another part of him start to ache, he pulls back. Brown irises meet blue, and Cisco feels ready to cast himself into this great unknown. It’s Harry, and he’s willing to give his all for this. Something worth doing is something worth the risks.


End file.
